1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a compression connector, and particularly to a compression connector having an insulator insert molded with a plurality of contact elements.
2. The Prior Art
Reliability of portable devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers require power supplied from a battery associated therewith. As portable devices become increasingly compact, a compression connector mounted thereon for conducting electrical energy between circuit boards faces strict design requirements. All batteries have a limited lifetime and must be replaced when the electrical energy is consumed thus the compression connector is subject to repeated depression and extension.
A compression connector generally comprises an insulative housing and a number of contact elements securely engaged in associated channels defined therein. In a conventional design, the engagement is achieved by forming barbs on each contact element which extend laterally along a direction parallel to a general plane defined by the contact elements. The contact elements are then interferentially received in the corresponding channels of the housing. However, the provision of the barbs increases a lateral dimension of the contact element and thus reduces a thickness of walls between adjacent channels possibly resulting in damage to the walls.
In another design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,626 issued to Kwiat et al. on May 5, 1998, each contact element comprises a front leg and a rear leg each being folded around a corresponding edge of the housing after insertion into a corresponding passageway. The lateral ends of the legs abut against a bottom surface of the housing for soldering to a PC board. Such a contact element has a complicated structure whereby manufacture and assembly thereof is time and cost inefficient. Furthermore, if the legs are not properly folded around the edges of the housing, the engagement therebetween will not be secure.
Hence, an improved compression connector is requisite to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.